ARTIST INTERVIEWS

ELISABETH NEAD

Bio: Elizabeth Nead is a holder of BFA in Design, The Pennsylvania State University, and MFA in Alternative Processes, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Served as Chair of Visual Communications at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, USA (1980-2006) and as Director of the Center for Art and Culture (Institute for American Universities) in Aix-en-Provence, France (2005/6). She taught design, foundations of visual thinking, colour theory, and painting. She also developed/directed programmes such as the Design Co-op (students working with non-profit organisations), foundation design curriculum for Athens Media Lab, Athens, Greece, painting/exhibitions in the Greek islands (1990-2007) etc. Elizabeth and her husband moved permanently to Karystos in 2005.

Artist statement: We live in a fragile paradise. Climate change is existential; it affects our weather with direct impact on the daily lives of all creatures. It can be dramatic, extreme, terrifying, catastrophic. More often, it is gradual, subtle. Do we sense it, or understand what it signifies? Do we even acknowledge it? It is my intention to be provocative with this work. Sometimes the message is one of violent forces and life out of balance. Sometimes there is simply the paradox of a sinister beauty. We strive for the sustainable co-existence of nature and humans, as promoted and expressed perfectly by Beelosophy. I am honoured to lend my support to this endeavour.

TASSOS SINTELIS

Bio: The painter Tassos Sintelis is a graduate of the Athens School of Fine Arts (Greece) and holds a PhD (Harford University, USA). He has been exhibiting his work since 1963. He taught printmaking at Suny University, New York, USA (1983-1989), painting at Light House Art School, Florida, USA (1990-1999), drawing and colour at the Technological Educational Institute of Athens (1999-2002). His works can be found in the National Gallery, the Athens Educational Center, the Iona Vorre Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Modern Greek Art of Rhodes, the NOBEL Museum of Greek Art and in many private collections and museums in both the USA and Greece. Since 1999 he lives in Karystos.

Artist statement: There is a cultural crisis and I get frustrated. In ancient Greece the spirit was so great. That spirit no longer exists. People don't care much, neither about nature, nor about what happens around us. We forget the value that exists around us in the environment. I think a lot about young people, who should be indoctrinated and learn to love nature and the environment and people. We need to relax, but it's hard to find peace and quiet. We admire technology, but technology makes us almost superhuman and does not let us rest. When I learned about the life of the Bee and what it is for the world, I was very moved by it, and I started doing related projects.

SIMON BENZAQUEN

Bio: Simon Benzaquen began his professional career in Paris as a draughtsman. He developed an interest in stone carving, tinkering with stone and marble pieces. He pursued his passion for 13 years under the guidance of Lange and Deyme, recipients of the 1st Grand Prix de Rome. He actively participated in yearly exhibitions, showcasing clay works, nudes for the most part, before exploring metal and marble. In 2022 he moved to Karystos, Greece, to exclusively work with marble.

Artist statement: Bees display remarkable communication and collaboration skills when constructing honeycombs. They possess the unique ability to produce wax and create hexagonal cells within their hives, which serve as both a workshop and natural habitat. Wild bees can build their nests in cave, rock, or tree cavities. The totem symbolises the bees' collective effort when working together on their communal project. The honey we savour is a direct result of their seamless collaboration and harmonious existence.